PORTMARNOCK SUNDAY

SOME ordinary fare was sandwiched between two bumper meetings last weekend. After the hype of the Dundalk PMU bash and before the hotly contested Red John Weekend, the meetings at Portmarnock and Dunmanway were always going to struggle for atmosphere.

However the Dublin venue was enlivened by a few piebalds and skewbalds in the Painted Mile races, and the West Cork runners raced for the prestigious George Deane Memorial, in honour of a sadly missed trotting promoter. The George Deane originally had a better slot in the fixture list but Mother Nature decided to saturate the field. Timmy Kelleher’s race report follows.

Up at Portmarnock Jonny Dunne stole the show with Paul Bennett’s home bred Tarawood CJ. The lightly raced four-year-old, who has crept into the game just like Porterstown Road five seasons ago, led all the way in 2.01.1 to take the top grade pace. “He’s the new kid in the block,” said owner Bennett with justifiable pride. The winner can go faster than this and may even make up into a free-for-aller (He got 40 and 60 yards from Master Plan and Rhyds Mystique respectively). Walter Stewart finished well aboard Master Plan for second spot.

Even hardened veterans were delighted to see Erin Flanagan, so often coming close, break her duck with the mare Belle De Bonneval. Erin did not manage to win an apprentice race and there won’t be too many 18-year-olds who can say they saw off Patrick Kane and Alan Richardson to win their first race.

Erin and the genuine mare made a lovely sight. Belle De Bonneval striding out “on the metal” as commentator Mick Dempsey calls a horse taking a good hold, and Erin’s long fair hair streaming out from under the helmet. Verdi De Crouay (Jack Killeen) gave chase but to no avail.

‘’I’m just delighted for Brian (Redmond, co-owner) and dad,” stated Erin. “Mum came to Dundalk to cheer me on, she’ll be over the moon.”

The organisers are spacing the races for coloured horses out this season. In Sunday the two-year-old division went to Billy Roche with Sean Kiernan’s Rock n’ Roll Royalty, the first foal of Foreclosure to race in Ireland. “We’re new to track racing but enjoying it,” was the owner’s comment.

MATCH

The low grade painted mile was a match in which Artsfire (Deco Connolly) beat Bombfire (Wayne Duffy) by a wide margin. Piebalds and skewbalds are an acquired taste but there is no denying that several of the runners on show on Sunday had plenty of presence with the American bloodlines shining through.

Elsewhere on the card the opening favourite Springhill Chisum (P Kane) won at odds of 1/2 but had to work for it. Dragons Den (6/1) with Noely Ryan nearly spoiled the party while Rhyds Shoofly (John Richardson) met every bit of traffic in the county before breaking at a crucial stage.

Ivan Swindle trains Espalion Du Lilas for Annaghmore owner Clive Richardson (no relation to the Dublin family of the same name) and the four-year-old gelding finally got his turn under Ivan’s son Wayne. The ‘jolly’ Extreme Instant kept making breaks.

The right faces backed Meadowbranch Roman for the E to F grade pace. Billy Roche’s charge ran out the winner in 2.01.2. The runner up, The Governor was not given a hard time when beaten.

The strong-going Epsom d’Occagnes took the higher grade four-year-old trot, for owner/trainer/driver Anto Malone with the Dundalk winner Every De Beaum (Joe Caffrey) runner-up. 2.08.8 was the clock. El Tejar (Alan Wallace Snr) showed real speed here, but also made skips.

The Omeath man took home some prize money when Bernard Nicholson won the Grade F trot on a day when eight out of 10 winners led out and made all.

This season will be Universe Extreme’s fourth in Ireland, he owes them nothing. The ‘8 horse’ Diva Des Charmes (J Caffrey) couldn’t make up the deficit. The winner had enough energy left to rear like a circus horse in the winners’ enclosure.

Joe’s uncle John Richardson was smartly away with Colline d’Orval in the top grade trot and ran out a convincing winner in 2.03.6, helped as Aruffiac (Mark Kane) and Beach De Bellouet (Noely Ryan) carried on a dog fight in behind.

PORTMARNOCK RESULTS

Race One: 1 Springhill Chisum P Kane jun 2 Dragons Den N Ryan 3 Newtown Terror D Jennings Dist hd, nk Time 2.04.5

Race Two: 1 Espalion du Lilas W Swindle 2 Ermimera Fromintera F Kavanagh 3 Dist 6l 10l Time 2.11.4

Race Three: 1 Meadowbranch Roman B Roche 2 The Governor M Mc Aleer 3 Dist 1 ½ l, 2 ½ l Time 2.01.2

Race Four: 1 Epsom d’ Occagnes A Malone 2 Every de Beaum J Cafftrey 3 Europeen N Quigley Dist 3l 7l Time 2.05.9

Race Five: 1 Artsfire D Connolly 2 Bombfire W Duffy Dist dist Time 2.05.5

Race Six: 1 Universe Extreme N Nicholson 2 Diva des Charmes J Caffrey 3 Rohan des Thirons P Kane jun Dist 4l 2l Time 2.06.2

Race Seven: 1 Rock n Roll Royalty B Roche 2 War Horse F Kavanagh 3 Coloured Card Trick W Duffy Dist dist, dist Time 2.06.6

Race Eight: 1Belle de Bonneval E Flanagan 2 Twist du Layon P Kane jun 3 Verdi de Crouay J Killeen 3 Dist 3 ¼ l, 1 ¼ l Time 2.03

Race Nine: 1 Tarawood CJ J Dunne 2 Master Plan W Stewart 3 Springhill Biscuit C Foran Dist 3 ¼ l, hd Time 2.01.1

Race Ten: 1 Colline d’Orval J Richardson 2 Aruffiac M Kane 3 Beach de Belloeut N Ryan Dist ¾ l, 4 l Time 2.03.6